I mean, what could be the worst? Getting trampled by a centaur like that Betty Henderson chic? Well, it wouldn't be the first. I stalked slowly behind an Elfling Tree, making sure not to give my position. I heard shouts and footsteps circle around me, raising my guard. Daniel warned me about this, but like always, my daydreaming got ahead of me. Like always.

My team mates traveled out of our area to take foot into the opposing teams location. Bryan decided that we had not enough fighters, nor defenders, so his idiotic solution was to remove watchers up to the other two platforms of jobs, leaving me, by myself. Oh but the saying passed around:
"Amanda's mother was a warrior, didn't she carry the trait?".
If you consider daydreaming about the dragons of North side and doodling of creatures is my mother's passed down trait then you’re in luck. A spiraling bow struck the tree to my right yanked me out of my thoughts. 
     Focus I chant. I didn’t know if the arrow was aimed towards me or- well I didn't want to know. They knew my position and I needed to move. I would've warned the troops about the shot, giving them a heads up of walking fighters but, like I said, they moved ahead through the misty Forest of Omelian. 

  I ran and dodged a dozen trees as I came to a breathless stop. Regaining my breath I perked my ears up for any unsettling, different sounds.
Nothing
As I took a step forward out from the recovery of the tree, a snap of a branch put me back in my place. It was as if it was right in front of me.. Well I know for a fact that they weren't but I know they're near. Very, near. I stood still as the morning breeze whistled through my ears. Waiting with baited breath. I heard a foot step behind me and I turned and lifted up my bow in full force.
More trees.
I glanced at my bottle of enhance and glanced right up, in case of missing movement. I had about enough to cast a healing spell just in case.
This game isn't like how it used to be .It originated from the wars fought between districts.
The deadliest battles.
People saw enjoyment inside of the dreadful fight and decided a game would make great enjoyment out of it. The game started as just a, well, regular battle, one against the other side. Of course that ended with millions of death, blah blah blah, counting that magic was banned between fights (giving each team a unrightfully advantage ). So after that period, magic could be used, but people of course abused it. Leaving us to have limited amount of enhance to produce magic. The game was strictly called "Battle of Loss" or for short "BoL". That got old, boring, and non-entertaining, for the first hundred years or so. So, people called for a change, including the use of limited magic, less harmful weapons, open range and, some spice. The instructions where changed, but not to dramatically. The rules are: there are two teams, consisting of blue and black, both armed with volunteers for the excitement and adrenaline rush of battles. Anyways, if you get caught by the opposing team, you become one of theirs, and if u get caught by the other team, you rejoin. And the game is over once everyone is on one side. People say it's a 'cycle' and that's where the name comes in. It could go on for days, weeks, months, even years if you have players with high standards.
I actually never wanted to play this in the first place, not finding interest in it, but as my mom is "The Warrior" of the west, and it is said that every Loque in the family, at age 14, must volunteer for the stupid game. I thought nothing much of it until I realized how harmful the game could be, (experience of taking almost 4 bows to the knee) I thought hard about my trainings of magic with my father. Glad those days are put to use.
I regained my thoughts as a felt a swift of air flow on my back, caused my sudden movement. I knew my bow wouldn't work, used for long shots anyways, plus my bad aiming, (some to laugh at). I took out my carved dagger, home made by my sister herself, sharp and ready for use. I held it up by the end, waiting, and when I felt the energy move from my left, I swung my arm back, aiming for the person my way.
I struck them.
I actually got a catch
I low screech and a stumble could be heard as I turned their direction.
It couldn't be.
"JACOB?!"
His facial features expressing pain. He opened his eyes slightly,
"Amanda? I thought u where another fighter," he laughed. My eyes shot to his left leg where I stabbed him, happy it wasn't as deep as I thought it to be. I kneeled down and brushed my hand over the wound as he flinched slightly. I took in a deep breath as I figured that the enhance could be used not for myself.
"I'm gonna heal you," I said unlatching my enhance bottle and looking around.
"Amanda it isn't that bad, don't waste your enhance-"
"I'm going to treat you and give you the rest of my enhance, serves me right for not looking out for my own brother"
I opened the cap of my enhance and swirled it around, exhilarating kinetic energy through the bottle. I was about to pour it on my hands when I heard it.
“I think they’re over here!” shouts rang through my ears as footsteps shadowed.
I stood still, deep in thought. My brother crippled on the side, sounding troops headed our way, and nothing in range but trees and cool morning breeze.
That’s it! The trees! I stood up and looked down at my brother
“Can you walk?” I said sternly.
“Wha-?”
“Can you walk?” I asked again lowering my hand for him to grasp.  He grabbed it and stood up with a inefficient nod. He wobbled and fell into my grasp. I looked down and saw his broken leg, addition of the wound… I made.
“C’mon,” I picked him up and threw him across my back. I pulled out a few of my bows and broke them into two pieces and threw the sides with no arrow head to the side. I took a deep breath and rehearsed my skills of adventuring in my head once more before I took my first climb up the tree.
Each step took more force than wanted, with the extra weight on my back.
A while it took for us to get to the very top; tired and breathless. I laid him down on a large branch, more room to spare. I finally took out my bottle of enhance and splashed large portions on my hands. I whispered the words,
“There o said to be healed, monstrous wounds and ones of defeat, heal the mistaken and there forth be forgotten”.
I rubbed my hands together keeping my energy focused and remembering the familiar tingling sensation of magic again. I placed my vibrating hands onto his wounded flesh and let the energy flow off of my fingertips. He winced here and there as the wound closed.
“We will treat the broken bone after the tournament,” I spoke quietly to him.
He smiled a bit and mouthed a ‘Thank you’, before leaning back and letting out a soft sigh. I rose up and and climbed more branches to reach the peak, I needed to see it, to take in the sight, my dream of a kid and the perfect moment too.
I reached the top.
I gazed out into the rising sun, the warm colors of pink, orange and hues of red. Dancing in the cool breeze and warm sun. Mingling with each other. I heard a few branches behind me crack as I looked back in a swift movement. It was Jacob.
“You should be resting,”
”Like I would miss this view,”
“Yeah, remember my drawings?” we laughed, taking in the view of the horizon of ongoing Elfling Trees, miles and miles, totally forgetting what our jobs where. What the game was.
Forgetting the “Cycle”…
A yell approached our ears, ringing silence. I glanced down and back to Jacob. I smiled slightly and sighed.
“We better pack up and get ready for the other round of fighters come ,I heard the centaurs are coming this round,” I smiled and picked up my bow.
He stumbled to his feet and grabbed onto my shoulder for support on the moving tree branches, moving in waves with the wind.

“Yeah, let’s go,”